{"id":81054,"date":"2020-12-20T13:00:40","date_gmt":"2020-12-20T18:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=81054"},"modified":"2021-05-12T12:48:29","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T16:48:29","slug":"indie-watch-kevin-blackwood-is-unkillable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/12\/20\/indie-watch-kevin-blackwood-is-unkillable\/","title":{"rendered":"Indie Watch: Kevin Blackwood is Unkillable"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indie Watch is our regular series that looks at all of the amazing talents working the independent circuits around the world. Some are veterans revitalizing their careers, some are indie prospects hitting their peaks, while others are names to be on the watch for! In this edition, we take a look at a rising star in the US indies and one of the infamous Buffalo Brothers<\/strong>, “Unkillable” Kevin Blackwood<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

For a good chunk of 2019, Albion, New York’s Kevin Blackwood wasn’t sure if he’d ever wrestle again. The promising prospect was a rising star in the Northern US and Southwest Ontario (Canadian) indies and was on a great trajectory to success when an ill-fated night following a booking in Quebec, Canada in the winter of 2019 nearly ended his career. In January of 2019, Kevin Blackwood – alongside other Buffalo Brothers<\/a> “Red Death” Daniel Garcia, Kevin Bennett<\/strong>, and Puf<\/strong> – were driving home to Buffalo from a show in Montreal when their car hit black ice and skidded into a guardrail<\/a>. Puf and Bennett received minor injuries, but both Garcia and Blackwood suffered serious career-threatening injuries – Blackwood broke both ankles and suffered head trauma. But following nearly six months of rehabilitation, Blackwood returned to the ring<\/a> in July and has not only continued his beloved profession but has become one of 2020’s breakout stars, including appearances for All Elite Wrestling (AEW)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Kevin Blackwood began training with Buffalo’s Grapplers Anonymous<\/strong><\/a> wrestling school under head trainer Brandon Thurston<\/strong> as well as Pepper Parks <\/strong>(aka The Blade<\/strong> from AEW and formerly Braxton Sutter <\/strong>in IMPACT Wrestling<\/strong>) in 2016 and made his in-ring debut with Empire State Wrestling (ESW)<\/strong> that September at ESW Falling Leaves Festival Kickoff<\/strong><\/em>, where he lost to Vince Valor<\/strong>. He would pick up his first victory in ESW in May of 2017, in a four-way match against Valor, Cloudy<\/strong>, and Dick Justice<\/strong> at ESW BrawlFest<\/strong><\/em>. But at the same time, as he was making a name for himself in Buffalo’s indie scene, he was also breaking into the Toronto, Canada indie scene, debuting with Smash Wrestling<\/strong> in January of 2017.<\/p>\n